Can Orthodontics Improve Your Oral Health?

Were you aware that orthodontics isn’t just beneficial for straightening your teeth, but benefits your oral health as well? This is because a straight smile allows you better access to brushing and flossing to prevent tooth decay and gum disease which can destroy your smile.

In addition to correcting spacing issues, overcrowding, and misalignments in your smile, orthodontics can help prevent oral issues. Since our Coastal Orthodontic Care team offers orthodontics for our patients in Ventura, California looking to align their smile, let’s take a closer look at what it can do for your smile.

Overbite

This is where your upper teeth bite over your bottom teeth. When this is left uncorrected, gum irritation can occur along with wear and tear of the bottom teeth resulting in jaw and joint pain.

Underbite

This causes your bottom teeth to stick out further than your front teeth, interfering with the normal function of your front teeth and your molars. Without treatment, you may experience pain in the jaw and joints.

Open bite

When several teeth don’t meet their opposite teeth you will not be able to chew correctly. Unless this is corrected, you may have problems with your speech or pain when you chew, possibly resulting in TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder).

Crossbite

If your jaws are misaligned you will have a crossbite. This is where one or more of your upper teeth continuously hit the inside of the lower teeth when you bite down, causing wear and tear on tooth enamel as well as lead to gum disease and bone loss.

Dr. Lautt offers a variety of orthodontic treatment including braces–either metal or clear ceramic–that can be used in conjunction with AcceleDent® to shorten your time in braces. In addition, we also offer Invisalign® or ClearCorrect™ to align your smile using clear aligners instead of braces.

If you would like to learn more about how orthodontics can create a healthy smile for you, please give our Coastal Orthodontic Care team a call at 805-650-1080 to schedule your consultation. Our skilled orthodontic team can not only align your smile but improve your oral health along the way!